Sawdah, Aaishah and Umm Roomaan (2/2)

He said, ‘By Allah, I do not know what to say to Allah’s Messenger.’ Then I (‘Aa'ishah) said to my mother,

‘Reply to Allah’s Messenger.’

She said, ‘I do not know what to say to Allah’s Messenger.’ Even though I was still a young girl, and had little knowledge of Qur’aan, I said,

‘By Allah, I know that you heard this story (of the Ifk) so much so that it has been implanted in your minds and you have believed it. So now if I tell you that I am innocent, and Allah knows that I am innocent, you will not believe me. And if I confess something, and Allah knows that I am innocent of it, you will believe me. By Allah I cannot find for you an example except that of Joseph’s father: {So (for me) patience is most fitting against that which you assert and it is Allah alone whose help can be sought.}

Then I turned away and lay on my bed, and at that moment I knew that I was innocent and that Allah would reveal my innocence. But By Allah! I never thought that Allah would send down concerning my situation verses that would be recited (forever), as I considered myself too unworthy to be spoken about by Allah with something that was to be recited. I [only] hoped that Allah’s Messenger may have a vision in which Allah would prove my innocence. By Allah! Allah’s Messenger had not left his seat and nobody had left the house when the divine inspiration came to Allah’s Messenger. So there overtook him the same condition which used to overtake him (when he was divinely inspired); drops of sweat were running down (his face) like pearls, even though it was a cold winter day, and that was because of the heaviness of the statement which was revealed to him.

When the state of Allah’s Messenger was over, he was smiling as he was relieved. The first word he said was, ''Aa’ishah, Allah has declared your innocence.’ My mother said to me,

‘Get up and go to him.’

‘Aa'ishah replied 'By Allah, I will not got to him and I will not thank anybody but Allah.’ Allah had revealed: {Verily! Those who spread the slander are a group among you. Think it not...}

‘Aai'shah (may Allah be pleased with her) continued: 'When Allah revealed this to confirm my innocence, Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq, who use to provide for Mistaah ibn Uthattha because of the latter’s kinship to him and his poverty, said with about him [because of his contribution in the slander against ‘Aa'ishah, the daughter of Abu Bakr]:

‘By Allah I will never provide for Mistah anything after what he said about ‘Aa’ishah.’

This is when Allah revealed: {And let not these among you who are blessed with graces and wealth swear not to give [any sort of help] to their kinsmen, al-Masaakeen [the poor], and those who left their homes for Allah’s cause. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} (Qur’an 24: 22)

Abu Bakr said,

"Yes, By Allah, I wish that Allah will forgive me."

So he resumed giving Mistaah the aid he used to give him before [the slander] and said,

‘By Allah, I will never withhold it from him at all.’”

‘Aa’ishah further said: “Allah’s Messenger [had also] asked Zaynab Bint Jahsh about my case. He said, ‘O’ Zaynab! What have you seen?' To which she replied,

‘O Allah’s Messenger! I protect my hearing and my sight (i.e. I refrain and protect them from telling lies). I know nothing but good (about 'Aa’ishah).’

Of all the wives of Allah’s Messenger, it was Zaynab who aspired to receive from him the same attention as I used to receive, yet Allah saved her (from telling lies) due to her piety. But her sister Hamnah, kept on insisting [in slandering] on her behalf, so she was destroyed as were those who invented and spread the slander.”

Umm Roomaan's Wise Words

The wise words of Umm Rooman to her daughter 'Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them) should attract our attention. When the verses that explained her innocence were revealed and the house of Abu Bakr was purified, never to be touched with any harm again, Umm Rooman told her daughter,

“Get up and go to him.”

This expression, within its letters, carried all the signs of great love that Umm Rooman had in her heart for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

It also indicates the epitome of human experience in marriage, in the sense of love, companionship and mercy, so that the family can be established upon strong and firmly-rooted pillars which no circumstances should shake and no emerging event should weaken. This nice summation did not come from Umm Rooman accidently. It rather emanated from her mentality, which was refined by Islaam and presented as an excellent example for the entire mankind.

Allah Almighty says: {Among his signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily in that are signs for a people who reflect.} (Qur’an 30: 21)

The days of slander and its trial took their toil on the body of Umm Rooman, as her heart bore all the sorrows and pains of these days. It was this heart in which her husband, her daughter and all the believers - irrespective of their status - had a place. The heart then became weakened and it was only a few months after this incident that Umm Rooman died. The Prophet's praise of Umm Roomaan is better than any words of praise we may present from ourselves:

“Whoever wants to see a woman among the beautiful women of paradise who have wide and lovely eyes should look at Umm Rooman.” May Allah be pleased with her and please her. Aameen!

Aaa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her)

Let us now go back to ‘Aa’ishah’s life journey with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). ‘Aa’ishah spent nine years in the Prophet’s house. How were these days and what did they produce? In spite of her being involved in co-wife rivalry due to her love for the Prophet (peace be upon him), they never rivaled except within mild limits which left no adverse effect or caused any harm. She was lucky though, as ‘Aai’shah was the most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) from all of his wives after Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her) who had passed away many years before.

Her marriage was infact an implementation of divine revelation as Angel Gabriel showed her in a dream to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a piece of silk and said to him,

“This is your wife in this world and the hereafter.”

The Messenger of Allah later informed ‘Aai’shah (may Allah be pleased with her), “You have been shown to me in (my) dreams in three (different) nights. An angel was carrying you in silken cloth and said to me, ‘This is your wife.’ And when I uncovered it, behold! It was you. I then said, ‘If this dream is from Allah, He will cause it to come true.’”

At-Tirmidhi also reported on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah that Angel Gabriel came with her picture in a green silken cloth to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said to him,

'This is your wife in this world and hereafter.”

‘Aa’ishah was the youngest of the Prophet’s wives when he married her. Even after her marriage, due to her young age, she loved to play with dolls. Her childhood was very innocent and full of love and compassion. She had a father, a husband and a brother, who loved her dearly with affection and compassion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would even playfully call her ‘O ‘Aa’ish’, out of love and compassion.

A delegation once came from Abyssinia and its members went into the courtyard of the Masjid and began playing with their arrows. ‘Aa’ishah stood at the door of her room behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), placing her head upon his noble shoulder so as to watch them and amuse herself. She would stay in this position until the Prophet (peace be upon him) would ask her, “Have you had enough?” To she would say, “Yes.”

In a hadith reported by At-Tirmidhi, a man spoke ill of ‘Aa’ishah in the presence of ‘Ammaar Ibn Yaasir. ‘Ammaar rebuked him saying,

“May you be put to shame and disowned! Are you speaking ill of the beloved of the Messenger of Allah?!”

“The first love in Islaam was the love that the Messenger of Allah had for ‘Aa’ishah. May Allah be pleased with her.”

Imaam al-Bukhari reported on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah that she said: “People would send presents to the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the day of my turn (i.e. when the Prophet would be spending his night at her house). My companions (i.e. the other wives of the Prophet) gathered in the house of the Umm Salamah and said,

“O’ Umm Salamah! By Allah, the people choose to sent presents on the day of ‘Aa’ishah’s turn and we too, love the good (i.e. presents etc.) as ‘Aa’ishah does. You should tell Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) to tell the people to send their presents to him wherever he may be, or wherever his turn may be.”

Umm Salamah said this to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he turned away from her. When the Prophet returned to Umm Salamah, she repeated the same, and the Prophet again turned away, and when she mentioned the same thing to him for the third time, the Prophet said, “O Umm Salamah! Don’t trouble me by harming ‘Aa’ishah, for by Allah! the divine inspiration never came to me while I was under the blanket of any woman among you except her.”

The other wives didn’t just mention this to Umm Salamah, but they also sent word to Faatimah bint Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with her) concerning the same issue as she was the daughter of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and naturally close to him.

‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) wives sent Faatimah, the Prophet’s daughter, to him. She asked permission to enter while he was lying down with me in my woolen blanket. He permitted her to enter and she said,

“O Messenger of Allah! Your wives have sent me to you demanding fairness concerning (your treatment of) the daughter of Ibn Abi Quhaafah [i.e. the daughter of Abu Bakr].'

I was there (listening but) silent. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to her, “O Daughter! Don’t you love whatever I love?” She then said, “Yes.” He then said, “Then you should love this lady.”

This was an humane feeling of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Hearts, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned in a Prophetic Narration, are between the two fingers of the Most Merciful Lord. He turns them as he Wills! The heart is named ‘Qalb’ because of its changing and rotating nature. The supplication which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to frequently make in his prostration was:

“Allahumma, Yaa Muqallaibal-Quloob, Thabbit Qalbee ‘Ala-Deenik.”

“O Allah, the one who turns the heart, make my heart firm upon your religion.”

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) truthfully and sincerely said, “O Allah, this is my division in that over which I have power. Do not blame me for that over which you have power and I have no power.”

This great love was limitless. It transcended material feelings for things that were higher and more sublime: the soul, the heart, and the mind. The emotional radiation of this love reflects the distinctness of the Prophetic household in comparison to so many homes which are today full of hatred, anger, resentment and abuse. It was a wonderful example for all Muslims, an example which was full of understanding, knowledge, cognizance and honesty.

Al-Hakeem said in his book "Al-Mustadrak":

“One fourth of the rule of Sharee’ah was narrated on the authority of ‘Aai’shah.”

"Whenever a Hadeeth was unclear to us, we - the Companions of Allah’s Messenger - asked ‘Aa’ishah about it. We always gained knowledge about that hadeeth (i.e. its clarification) from her.”

Az-Zuhri said,

“If ‘Aa’ishah’s knowledge is compiled and compared to the knowledge of all women, her knowledge will surely excel theirs.”

He also said,

“The first person to remove distress from the people and explain to them the Sunnah was ‘Aa’ishah.”

I am not going to explain in detail the knowledge that our Mother ‘Aa’ishah possessed or the high status she had attained, rather I have only mentioned some examples to confirm the truthfulness of the Prophet’s perspicacity. This and other attributes of 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) caused her to be loved dearly, not only by the Prophet (peace of upon him) but by all faithful believers up until the Day of Judgement.

Though the hadeeth, which reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Take half (of the knowledge) of your religion from the Humayrah (meaning 'Aa’ishah).” is weak, nevertheless we know that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) alluded to ‘A’ishah’s cleverness, mental alertness, knowledge and piety.

May Allah be pleased with her and please her. Aameen!

'Aa’ishah’s Home

Each one of the female companions played a distinguished role in the life of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) and especially within the course of his mission. But it was and is in ‘Aa’ishah’s home that many many roles were and still are performed.

First and foremost:

'Aa'ishah's (may Allah be pleased with her) room shelters the Prophet’s grave, in which therein lies his noble body.

It is the only room that still exists out of the rooms of the Prophet’s wives.

It was the room that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) chose to stay in while he was sick prior to his death, and in which he later died.

It is also the room that shelters the two great companions and caliphs: Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).

It is a noteworthy story as to how both of these Caliphs ended up being buried in her room out of the whole of Madinah.

Her father Abu Bakr had commanded her during the illness which later resulted in his death that he should be buried beside the Prophet (peace be upon him) and as a dutiful daughter she implemented his command. A grave was then dug for him in her room and his grave was made parallel to the Prophet’s shoulders (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both).

When ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed by Abu Lu’lu’ah, the Zoroastrian, he sought the permission of ‘Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) to be buried in her room. When Ibn ‘Umar brought his father’s body for burial and reached the door of A’ishah’s room, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar once against asked for her permission on his father's behalf,

“The slave of Allah, ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab is seeking permission to enter into the house of the Mother of the Faithful, ‘Aa’ishah."

‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) gave her permission and thus he was buried there.

Before ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was buried there, she used to say,

“It is only my husband and my father that are here.”

Therefore she would not cover herself as she would have done if a non-mahram was present. But after ‘Umar was buried there she would say,

“I no longer enter the room but with my garment fastened (i.e. with my full Hijaab, Jilbaab and Niqaab on), because I am shy (of being in the presence) of ‘Umar.”

The Battle of the Camel

Before I conclude I would like to mention the Battle of the Camel, bearing in mind that as Muslims we should seek to unite and not divide and to uplift ignorance instead of spreading it. We also need to learn how to focus on individuals, rather than figures and events - especially when it comes to the lives of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon them all). For they were human beings, but whose feats far exceeded ours in every respect. They are a people whom Allah is pleased with and they are also pleased with Him. They were the ones chosen by Allah to be the first bearers for the flag of Islaam.

The following are some words which illuminate the way forth for us, so that we can recognize the friend from the enemy and the right from the wrong.

All narrations contained within all historical sources unanimously over the negotiations which took place between ‘Alee on one side and Talhah, az-Zubair and ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them all) on the other. These sources show us how they were almost successful in arriving at a truce of peace and the protection of blood. But there was a specific group who were not willing to suffer a loss by this truce...

It was the same group which had come from Egypt and revolted against 'Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him). This group had been lead by the Jew ‘Abdullah ibn Saba, who had filled their hearts with malice and hatred against the noble and respected Companions. Because of this the Caliph, ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, was martyred. This was a historical calamity, which destroyed the political edifice of Islaam and caused this whole problem to occur.

It was at the dawn of the appointed day of the announcement of the truce and peace that the situation got out of hand, all because of the Jew ‘Abdullah ibn Saba, who had started the war in the first place.

As for what happened after that, then that is now history.

In the month of Ramadhaan, in the year 58 A.H., ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was afflicted by a fatal illness. In her will she had clearly stated:

“Do not follow my bier with a fire nor lay a red velvet piece.”

She then surrendered her soul on the night of Tuesday, the 17th Ramadhaan, at the age of 66. She was buried within the same night after the Salat of al-Witr. Her burial place is in Al-Baqi, which is situated in Madinah.

May Allah be pleased with and please this great female scholar, the beloved of our Final Messenger (peace be upon him). Aameen!